I read Miriam and Noelle’s story previously and love that the focus of this one was on Miriam’s former fiancée. Found family is strong in this one as their friend group is ever evolving.

Fake dating and opposites attract are the key themes here as Tara and Holly take a roadtrip to Miriam’s wedding. Lots of fun and laughter but also a third act breakup that left me angry at them both. You ever want to yell at fictional characters to snap out of it? Just me? Ok.😉 Really enjoyed this book and revisiting Carrigan’s Christmasland characters.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Watch for Hers for the Weekend to come out August 27, 2024.

First of all, a huge thank you to NetGalley for the early copy in exchange for an honest review!

Now, this book was absolutely fantastic! I’ve been in somewhat of a reading slump recently, and this was the first thing I’ve read for some time that made me want to keep reading for longer than five minutes. It held my attention with the characters and their humor and dynamics! It was just a very well-thought out and well-written story!

I certainly did relate to both Tara and Holly more than I would like to admit, and that did contribute to the tears I shed towards the end of the book. I also really enjoyed the exploration of found family and platonic love and how important it really is to surround yourself with people who love you!

This is the third book in a universe, and I did not realize that going in; however, about halfway in it felt like I’d been with these characters all along, and it does work as a standalone! I also will be picking up the other books ASAP!

The only negative thing I really have to say about the book is that some writing felt a little overdramatic and a tad bit repetitive, but that could just be a personal issue that I had.

Overall, this was a fantastic and enjoyable read that I would recommend to anyone who loves romance, comedy, and women!

Good news: i finished reading it!
Bad news: i tried really hard to get past the characters' unlikable foibles. i didn't.

only one of the characters is called a snob explicitly but both characters are two sides of the same snob coin. I tried to get past this, but the characterization felt completely flat to me, because their self-centeredness permeated both characters' core beliefs. Mostly the Tara character, I couldn't get past her "woe is me, people I love don't love me sob sob" rich girl feelings; not that I don't believe rich people have deep inner lives, just that if this character had a deep inner life, it didn't come through.

The other character Holly is all right, but I couldn't get past her lack of depth as well. Lust is her number one defining motivation for pursuing Tara, and the primary reason why she ultimately agreed to the fake dating ploy. Which would've been ok, this is a romance book after all, but it would've been nicer if lust took a backseat in those developing moments and both characters experienced a turn-on that didn't occur exclusively in their nether regions.

That said, these characters made for a very boring pair.


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

This was a great third book in the series! Helena Greer does a fantastic job with this one. I enjoyed revisiting characters from the first two books but then getting to know new ones as well. She does well at handling mental health and trauma in a way that allows the characters to grow and not become to stagnant. This book while a geat third in the series would also stand well on its own. There is enough content and detail about past events and people to allow the book to be a first of Greers. The spicy scenes added emotionally to the book and didn't feel forced. Greer does well as making them pull the reader in emotionally and makes the scenes feel like value added to the story line. This story has a wide range of queer characters that are all well written and supportive of identity. Greer also handles family/external homaphobia tactfully.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book!

so this was a very cute read! I loved the family dynamic in this story and how everyone was always there for each other! I did get a little bored at times and felt like the characters lacked a lot of chemistry and things barely moved along.. still it was very cute at times!

2.5-3⭐️

It is with a heavy heart and deep sorrow that I report that Hers for the Weekend did not work for me. On paper, I should have loved it. I expected to love it! It had fake dating, two lesbian MCs, and found family in the form of a very queer and very rambunctious group of friends. What's not to like?! The execution, apparently.

Let's start with the positives, of which there are few. The first and most obvious is that both MCs were lesbians. I seldom see relationships between two lesbians in sapphic romance novels, and it's even less common for me to find books with lesbian characters who are actually called lesbians. So many authors shy away from using that word, even when it's heavily implied that it's the most appropriate identifier. That wasn't the case here, and I appreciated that.

I also thought this book did a good job of utilizing the fake dating trope in a way that felt realistic. My biggest hangup with that trope is that I often see it used in scenarios where it doesn't really make sense. For it to work, I need both characters to have believable reasons for agreeing to the fake relationship. In this instance, Tara needed a date to her ex-fianceé's wedding, and Holly needed an excuse not to visit her family for the holidays. Fake dating seemed reasonable enough to me.

Finally, I respect that the author attempted to weave in discussions of privilege, class, criminal justice reform, etc. I don't believe it was done as artfully as it could've been due to those bits coming across as very heavy-handed and preachy, largely through significant amounts of info-dumping in the dialogue, but the thought was there, and I reckon that counts for something.

Unfortunately, that concludes the list of nice things I have to say about this book. So much of it just didn't land for me, not the least of which was the relationship between Tara and Holly. They had no chemistry. Aside from being sexually attracted to one another, I didn't buy that they had a real connection, let alone one strong enough to lead them to an actual relationship despite their differences and incompatibility. The third act breakup felt clunky, and the timeline afterward didn't make a lot of sense to me. The pacing was off, and the payout of seeing them together wasn't satisfying. (I was also a bit surprised that the spice in this book was fade to black given how big of a role sex played in Tara and Holly's developing relationship. I know everyone has their own personal preferences when it comes to how explicitly sex is portrayed in books, but I think it having been a bit more explicit in this book would have bolstered the chemistry between the two MCs and made their relationship feel more tangible and believable.)

Tara and Holly aside, I never really connected with any of the characters, and I think that was in part because they didn't come across as real people. The writing—and especially the dialogue—felt stilted and awkward, and it was way too expository way too often. I was practically begging the author to stop telling me everything and just show me instead. The references were odd and...incorrect? For example, one of the MCs told the other that she could see her liking a third party's Instagram stories, which is just not something that's possible. That's not how the app works. I'm not keen on pop culture references in books to begin with, but if they're going to be included, they at least need to be accurate.

I don't want to harp on this book too much. It wasn't for me, but I'm sure it'll go over better in the hands of the right reader. Folks who have read and enjoyed the other two books in this universe might be more apt to enjoy this one. Sometimes an author's style just doesn't work for me, and that's what happened here. Live and learn.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

When I stared this book I did not know it was the third in the series, but it did not affect my ability to read it at all.

Hers for the Weekend is a great story about love, change, and friends coming together. A whimsical holiday wedding can change lives in amazing ways.

It had a some of my favorite tropes; fake dating and forced-proximity.

I’d like to give a big thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the chance to read this ARC.

I love a queer romance book, and I really wanted to love this one. But for the majority of the book I kept waiting to really feel connected to the characters and the plot, but it felt like there was something missing and my attachment to them never really formed. I did not realize that this was part of a series before starting it, so there is a possibility that having read the other books would have changed my feelings. Regardless, the portrayal of chosen family and queerness is heartwarming and the best part of the entire book - I wish I could experience Christmasland and the loving chaos of its people for myself.

I enjoyed the story of Tara and Holly. I wish it was written from the first person perspective. I would rate it 3.5 stars, 2 chili peppers. There are only 2 scenes and they basically fade to black. Cute story to scroll through. Would have like to see more of their relationship after the make up!

Great story! I didn’t realize it was part of a series but that didn’t take away from the story line of this one! I had a great time reading this book.

Absolutely obsessed with this book. Helena, you have done it again!!!
I’m an absolute sucker for a lesbo romance, give me ALL OF THEM. This one has the perfect amount of mushy gushy and spicy spice. This was by nooooo means a SLOW BURNER, it had me wanting to read every second of the day since I picked it up…. (curse motherhood but I love my sweet child enough to comply with her wishes and read when she sleeps 💔)

-REDACTED FROM GOODREADS FOR POTENTIAL SPOILERS-
I won’t lie, Tara made me MADDDDDDD just by the assumptions that Holly wouldn’t be a good fit as a wife because of her inability to be a society wife. She wasn’t far off as Holly felt similar in that sense BUT I will say it’s a good start to a FWB turned lovers scenario.

Cole is such a likable character. He’s literally the definition of the golden retriever friend and I love him to pieces. I would seriouslyyyyy be interested in a story with him as the main character. His kind heart was so prevalent and it was so clear how much of an amazing person he is.

Tara was relatable to me in the way that I often find myself thinking the people around me don’t love me or want me around. It was refreshing to hear about the bonds and memories that the group shared together and how accepting and welcoming they were to Holly.

Note this was more of a 3.75 star rating instead of 4.

I loved the first like 60% of this book -- like I could not put it down. Then the last bit I was just bored. I don't know if it's because of my current reading slump or what but I just slogged through the rest.
Also, not sure why this is being advertised as a romcom... It just isn't... Like it's kind of a very serious romance, and not to say romcoms can't be serious... this one just isn't funny the way that romcoms are.

I am truly obsessed with this book. I loved being back at Carrigan's and seeing the whole cast of characters. Tara and Holly's relationship was wonderful and I loved the way they worked through conflict, gave each other space, and helped each other figure out their dreams and who they want to be. A wonderful story to end a wonderful series.

This book contains so much that I gravitate towards as a reader: a variety of queer representation, explicitly lesbian characters, fake relationships, found family, cute Hallmark vibes, and quirky but flawed characters. That said, on the whole it fell flat for me.
Tara and Holly both have major hang-ups around love and relationships, both romantic and non. While I can appreciate their insecurities and the source of their fears and personal rules around love, their journey towards change felt almost too long. Perhaps it resonated with other readers more than myself, but you can only have the main character ignore their best friend telling them in no uncertain terms how much they love and value them before it becomes frustrating.
I appreciated the Jewish and queer history, acknowledgment of privilege, and internal struggle between suffering abuse to use the privilege you're born into versus cutting ties with those roots but it often felt heavy-handed or out of place within the dialogue.
At the core, this is a cute romance that deals with deeper issues in an accessible way. For fans of Helena Greer, it is a wonderful continuation of a world and found family readers already love. I would recommend having read the other books within this world in order to best appreciate "Hers for the Weekend."

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for the free arc!

I want to start off by saying that sometimes books can be a hit or miss and in the case of this book, it was a miss for me.

Going into the book I pretty much went into it blind, I knew that a fake dating scheme would take place between sapphics but other than that I didn't know much.

Now one of the big things about this book is that it technically could be considered a lesbian holiday romance book.

Which I had no idea it would be. The book takes place during the duration of the December or the Christmas holiday. It was definitely giving Hallmark vibes which others would enjoy. Personally, it missed the mark, I was also quite confused about the title and the book itself given that the relationship did not last for the "weekend." So therefore she was not "hers for the weekend".

I personally didn't really feel or see the chemistry between the main characters, their relationship felt quite rushed and the conflict in the end left me with lots of mixed feelings.

Overall, this would be the perfect book if you are looking for a quick holidayish lesbian romance with the fake dating trope. But be warned, it's def a hit or miss situation.

Tara Chadwick needs a date or she'll have to turn up at her exes wedding all alone.

Holly Delaney needs a excuse to NOT go home for Xmas, so helping out Tara seems like a no brainer....

(These two have been quietly pining over each other for months, each unaware the other wants her.)

This novel is Canon with her other books, but can be read as a stand alone. It's interesting how both Tara and Holly have issues, and a lot of the wedding is spent with them figuring them out. Plus, we get to catch up with the heroines of her earlier books, too.

I was mildly annoyed at how clunky the third act breakup was. It really brought the book down.

Would have been four stars, but the clunky third act break up brought it down one.

2.5⭐️




Me gusto la historia entre Tara y Holly, también me gusto como ambas encontraron un grupo de amigos (mas de Tara qu de Holly), pero lo que no terminó de gustarme fue quienes eran lo amigos, no son malas personas, sin embargo, que entre ellos estuviera la ex prometida y la esposa de la ex prometida de Tara por lo cual fue raro.

No me gustó como Cole sabiendo lo que paso entre Tara y Miriam, se volviera tan cercano a M a tal punto de decir que ella era su alma gemela.


Gracias Netgalley por el ARC.

When I initially started reading, I had no idea that this was part of a series. I may read the other books at some point and revisit this one.

This is on me, obviously, but I didn't realize this was the third in book in this universe! Also, though, the only thing it made me do was immediately buy the other two books because I loved this whole entire cast of characters SO MUCH! Hers For the Weekend included three of my all-time favorite tropes: fake dating, ice queen, and one bed/forced proximity. But the emotional beats that colored in the lines of those tropes were even better. Romances where both people make the other person better, make them want more, empower them to dig deep and confront their own fears and trauma: that's the stuff! And Holly and Tara do it brilliantly. They click, their chemistry is sizzling, that's never their problem. They're their own worst enemies because of their pasts, but they both start to realize that they deserve the kind of love they've been running from their entire adult lives. And so they become the best versions of themselves — or, at least they're on their way. All this against a Jewish Christmas background with one of the most deeply realized queer found families I've ever read about. And you know what relationship I loved the second best? The one between Tara and her ex-fiance, the protagonist of the first book. I loved their love for each other, the way they wanted what was best for each other, and the way they diffused any awkwardness about their past by just being blunt and hilarious. I can't wait to devour everything else Helena Greer has written.

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGaley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

I LOVE A SAPPHIC BOOK! I swear they just hit different. I personally hadn’t read any of the other books in the series but I’m super glad I picked up this book, you don’t have to know everybody from the previous books as well this book does a lot to explain each character and how they fit into the story. I love all the connections they all have with each other..

I am so glad I picked this up. I definitely recommend it to anybody who is looking for a good sapphic story. The character development is crazy and I think it hits so much different since they’re women.